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A random forest-based analysis of cassava mosaic disease-related factors affecting the on-farm livelihoods of cassava farmers
Get PDFThis study aimed to identify key CMD-related factors affecting Cameroon cassava farmers’ incomes originating from both the sale of cassava cuttings (V215) and the sale of cassava roots (V216). To achieve this, nine CMD-related variables were used to independently train two Random Forest models. These models were later employed for regression-based prediction of both financial targets V215 and V216. The Random Forest (RF)-based mean absolute percentage error for targets V215 and V216 were 0.19 and 1.25 respectively. The RF-based mean Gaussian deviance for targets V215 and V216 were 0.07 and 0.51 respectively. Based on RF feature importance scores (RFFI), the top 3 factors affecting income originating from the sale of cassava cuttings were found to be: late appearance of symptoms as a difficulty associated with regular field monitoring (RFFI of 0.2594), removal of infected plants as a method of controlling frequent occurrence of viral diseases in respondents’ cassava fields (RFFI of 0.1633) and lack of healthy planting material due to frequent occurrence of viral diseases in respondents’ cassava fields (RFFI of 0.1495). Also, the top 3 factors affecting income originating from the sale of cassava roots were found to be: the replacement of infected plants with healthy cuttings as a method of controlling the frequent occurrence of viral diseases in respondents’ cassava fields (RFFI of 0.1974), decrease in yield due to frequent occurrence of viral diseases in respondents’ cassava fields (RFFI of 0.1530) and poor plant growth due to frequent occurrence of viral diseases in respondents’ cassava fields (RFFI of 0.1388)
Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant potential of Pseudolachnostylis maprouneifolia
Get PDFPseudolachnostylis maproneifolia is a popular medicinal plant, particularly revered in the eastern province of Zambia, especially within Petauke District. Despite its widespread application in traditional medicine, the chemical composition of this plant has not been studied so far. Consequently, there was a pressing need to investigate the medicinal potential of its leaf extract. This study was carried out through preliminary phytochemical screening and GC-MS analysis of the ethanolic extract. The phytochemical profile revealed various secondary metabolites endowed with antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-cancer, antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidative properties. To quantify its medicinal potential, the total flavonoid content (TFC) and total phenolic content (TPC) was determined using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The methanolic extract exhibited a TFC of 157.20 mg QE/g and a TPC of 63.75 mg GAE/g, with an IC50 value of 45.57 μg/mL, signifying a strong antioxidant capability. Notably, the IC50 value of the standard (ascorbic acid) was 23.19 μg/mL. Further analysis involved quantifying the mineral elements crucial for treating anemia, such as iron, copper, zinc, and manganese. AAS based analysis revealed concentrations of these elements to be relatively higher, indicating their suitability for treating anemia. Complementing these findings, in silico molecular analysis and ADMET analysis of five selected phytochemicals, along with a reference cancer drug, yielded promising results such as a highest binding energy of -9.01 Kcal/mol, high gastrointestinal absorption and the lowest inhibition constant of 249.88 nM. These outcomes strongly advocate for subsequent in vitro and in vivo studies on these molecules, supporting their importance as potential drug candidates for cancer drug development
Influence of medium and gelling agents concentration on in vitro rooting of Polygonum tinctorium
Get PDFPolygonum tinctorium has long been employed in the medical and dye industries in many nations, particularly in Korea and Japan, for traditional fabric staining as a source of blue color. The plant tissue culture method has proven to be a rapid and sustainable approach for the regeneration of various plant species, particularly those with medicinal or ornamental value. In this study, we explored the in vitro root regeneration and growth of P. tinctorium in response to different growth media and gelling agents. Among the tested media, Schenk and Hildebrandt medium (SH medium) demonstrated superior performance, resulting in the highest number and length of roots per explant. SH media produced about 53 and 18% higher root per explant and a 40% and 14% increase in root length compared to B5 and MS media, respectively. Half strength of SH medium proved to be the optimal condition for both root number (7.46 roots per explant) and root length (3.81 mm). Among the gelling agents, 2 g/L of Gelrite medium was most effective in promoting the highest and tallest roots. These findings have the potential to enhance rooting abilities in various crops, particularly in the case of medicinal and ornamental plants, and may offer valuable insights for future industrial-scale root production of P. tinctorium
Efficacy of chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetics and JIP test for early detection of leaf-gall disease in Cordia dichotoma
Get PDFGall-induced oxidative stress impairs photosynthesis and ultimately negatively affects a plant’s productivity and yield. Cordia dichotoma is an economically important plant that suffers from galls produced by the insect Aceria gallae. So we investigated how plants deal with such biotic stress by studying chlorophyll fluorescence OJIP transient analysis. The results indicate the intensive variations in minimum-maximum fluorescence, electron transport, light-harvesting efficiency and density of active reaction centers. When reaction centers become inactive in severely infected leaves a significant rise in ABS/RC and TR/RC indicates the expanded antenna size of Photosystem-II which shows the plant's efforts to enhance photon absorption. But the electron transport was blocked due to OECs deactivation, remarkably altered ET/RC and phenomenological fluxes (ABS/CS, TR/CS and ET/CS). The J-curve distortion confirms blockage of electron transport towards PS-I since PQ is fully reduced and unable to grape electrons from QB. Leaf galls carry out noteworthy alterations in Kp, Kn, and primary and secondary photochemistry. But more severe infection causes complete obstruction for electron transport which finally diminishes performance indices (PIabs and PIcs) quantum yield of photosynthesis (φPo), and electron transport (φEo) which increases dissipation and eventually causes the death of the most severely infested leaf. Present studies reveal that measurement of FV/F0, PIabs, and PIcs may be used as a physiological marker for the early diagnosis of gall stress in C. dichotoma. Our results also suggest that repetitive detection of photosynthetic performance through chlorophyll a fluorescence analysis and a JIP-test can be used as potent tools to prevent plants from appearing the visible symptoms of any pathogenic infection
Histomorphological effects of ß,Ɛ-Carotene-3,3’-diol on the liver following indomethacin-induced hepatotoxicity in adult male Wistar rats
Get PDFMedicinal plants are globally used as food and in the management of different ailments based on their peculiar phytochemical contents. This study aimed to evaluate the histomorphological effects of ß,Ɛ-Carotene-3,3’-diol on the liver following indomethacin-induced hepatotoxicity in adult male Wistar rats. This is to determine the ameliorative effect of graded doses of ß,Ɛ-Carotene-3,3’-diol. A total of twenty-five adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups (n=5). Liver injury was induced by oral administration of 20 mg/kg b.w of indomethacin after 24 hours fast to animals in groups B-E. Twenty four hours after the induction, animals in groups C-E were given different doses of ß,Ɛ-Carotene-3,3’-diol. At the end of the experimentation, the animals were sacrificed and the livers were collected and fixed for histopathological and histomorphological analyses. The results showed that indomethacin increased the activities of AST, ALT and ALP and also induced histopathological changes. Treatment with ß,Ɛ-Carotene-3,3’-diol was able to attenuate liver injury caused by indomethacin in a dose dependent manner as evidenced in the histoarchitectural changes. This was also corroborated by the histomorphometric analyses. In conclusion, the results suggested the positive influence of ß,Ɛ-Carotene-3,3’-diol in ameliorating liver injury caused by indomethacin and by extension, may be adopted in the management of liver related injury
Impact of leaves of different mulberry genotypes on nutritional efficiency of conversion parameters of silkworm, Bombyx mori L.
Get PDFThe silkworm, Bombyx mori, is a domesticated insect widely used to produce silk worldwide for human consumption. B. mori is a monophagous insect that feeds on nutritious mulberry leaves to produce silk. The efficiency of conversion of leaves to larval biomass by silkworm larva largely depends upon the type of silkworm breed/hybrid and the quality of mulberry leaves fed to them. The silkworms having good efficiency of conversion of leaves perform better in larval growth and silk gland development, which finally leads to enhanced silk production. In the current research work, the highest efficiency of conversion of ingesta to larva (28.608%) and efficiency of conversion of digesta to larva (51.527%) were found in Goshoerami fed silkworm batch which differed significantly from other varieties
Convertible staircase lift
Get PDFThe present work investigates the design and analysis of a staircase lift, which can be used as a Material Handling System. A staircase lift is a mechanical device for lifting people and wheelchairs up and down the stairs, who may find difficulty in doing so themselves. For sufficiently wide stairs, a rail is mounted to the treads of the stairs. A chair or lifting platform is attached to the rail. A person on the chair or platform is lifted as the chair or platform moves along the rail, old age and goods are to be carried across the staircase. A staircase lift is a type of lift that can be mounted on the staircase without altering civil structure. Not only altering, but the person need not change the seat from the wheelchair to the staircase lift, there is a foldable supporting rod for the staircase lift which directly attaches to the wheelchair. This lift runs on electric power and consists of a motor, reduction gearbox, rope drive, two rails and a sliding chair. In this system, we use a DC motor for changing the polarity of the power supply which will make the motor run in reverse direction. Advantages over the conventional hydraulic lift are no civil structure and alteration is required, low cost, less bulkiness, less power, less maintenance required. Easy design, easy installations can be of industrial use too. Moreover, considering some drawbacks due to weight carrying capacity completely depends upon the capacity of the motor. There is a lot of scope for further modification in the project as using a monorail instead of two, using a belt drive or chain drive instead of a rope drive. Incorporation and automation/timer unit will ease the use of the device. Rack and carrier arrangement for using the device for a curved staircase and use of work & roller reduction gear assembly
Holding solution pH and composition consistently improve vase life of rose, lily and gerbera
Get PDFWe assessed the influence of postharvest pulsing solutions pH and composition on cut flower quality of rose (Rosa hybrida cvs. Avalanche and Black Magic), gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii cv. Beaudine) and lily (Lilium × elegans cv. Fangio) under room (20±2 °C) and cold storage (4±1 °C) conditions. Cut flowers were placed in different acidic (pH, 3.5 - 4) or basic (pH, 7.0 - 7.5) preservative solutions containing water, sugar 5% (flower food), 100 mg/L silver nitrate (AgNO3 act as a bactericide), or a commercial product (2% sugar + bactericide and fungicide). Acidic solutions had higher or similar (never lower) vase life at both room and cold storage conditions and across species. In addition, vase life was 3-4 times longer in cold storage when compared to room conditions. Leaf chlorophyll concentrations for rose and lily were inconsistent or not significant across the species at both conditions (room and cold storage). The commercial preservative solution consistently and significantly had higher vase life than water for all tested cut flower species and under both room and cold storage environments. AgNO3 ranked second in terms of vase life enhancement. Overall, the use of only flower food (sugar) or bactericide (AgNO3) had a positive impact on vase life but only the combined use of a preservative substance (specifically at pH, 3.5 - 4.0) consistently guaranteed a high cut flower quality across flower species
Influence of pectin on phenylpropanoid accumulation in buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) sprout
Get PDFBuckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Monech) contains several secondary metabolites like phenolic chemicals. Pectin has been demonstrated to be an efficient elicitor from the biotic group for triggering the defensive response, which enhances the production of secondary metabolites. In this study, the effect of pectin on the growth of buckwheat sprouts and the production of phenylpropanoid compounds in common buckwheat sprouts was investigated by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Pectin treatments of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 mg/L were administered on buckwheat sprouts for ten days to assess the growth characteristics and optimum concentrations. In comparison to the control treatment, 2 mg/L pectin enhances the shoot length by 24%. But when pectin concentration continued to rise, a tendency toward shorter shoots was seen. Pectin treatment decreased the fresh weight of the sprout as compared to the control treatment. The phenylpropanoid accumulation in buckwheat sprouts varied depending on the amount of pectin utilized. Pectin treatment at 6 mg/L resulted in a 15.10% increase in total phenylpropanoid accumulation. The findings of this study indicate that pectin is a possible elicitor, however, more research on how pectin affects the buildup of phenylpropanoids in buckwheat sprouts would be more intriguing to examine the implications of this work
Unlocking the potential of conservation agriculture for soil carbon sequestration influenced by soil texture and climate: A worldwide systematic review
Get PDFConservation Agriculture (CA) systems have gained significant attention as a sustainable cropping approach that not only improves crop yields but also contributes to climate change adaptation and mitigation through enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. However, a comprehensive understanding of the influence of soil texture and climate conditions on SOC sequestration under CA remains limited. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic review using the PRISMA method, analyzing data from 35 peer-reviewed articles encompassing 71 field experiments and 451 observations worldwide. Our findings demonstrate the substantial positive impact of CA on SOC sequestration, with an overall increase of approximately 78%. Remarkably, only a mere 2% of observations reported neutral effects, while 20% indicated adverse outcomes. Notably, SOC sequestration rates were highest in tropical regions experiencing dry winters, reaching an impressive 2.50 Mg/ha/year in the topsoil layers. Moreover, fine and moderate textured soils, such as clay, clay loam, loam, and clay sandy, exhibited higher SOC sequestration rates (20-27%) compared to coarse-textured soils dominated by sandy proportions (9%). These findings emphasize the significance of climate conditions and soil texture in shaping the impact of CA on SOC sequestration